Arkansas is divided into political subdivisions or administrative districts called counties. Today, the state contains seventy-five counties, but only five existed at the time of Arkansas Territory’s establishment in 1819: Arkansas (created 1813), Lawrence (1815), Clark (1818), Hempstead (1818), and Pulaski (1818). These earliest counties were geographically large and sparsely populated. As the new territory’s population grew, additional counties were created from the original five through subdivision and realignment.

The stories behind the origins of each county follow, shown in chronological order of the county’s creation. This page is a work-in-progress–not all counties are included at this time. Check back regularly to see new entries.

Clark County: 1818

Clark County was named for William Clark, best remembered for his exploration of the Louisiana Purchase lands west of the Mississippi River acquired by the United States in 1803. The Corps of Discovery, as the expedition came to be called, provided new information about the culture and geography of the West. Significantly, Clark also served as the governor of Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1820, the same time the county was established.

William Clark was born in Virginia in 1770. His older brother, George Rogers Clark, was a Revolutionary War hero. William followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the military at age nineteen, becoming friends with Meriwether Lewis while the two served together. Clark left the service, but in 1803 received a letter from his friend Lewis that included an invitation to share command of an exploratory party headed into the new Louisiana Territory.

The legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition left St. Louis in May of 1804. The group traveled for more than two years and traversed more than 8,000 miles. The expedition’s reports provided much new information about the lands in the West and the native peoples who inhabited it. After the men returned in 1806, the United States Congress awarded Clark double pay and 1,600 acres of land for his service. In 1807 President Thomas Jefferson appointed him brigadier general for the Louisiana Territory (later Missouri) and federal agent for western Indian tribes. President James Monroe later appointed William Clark to be Territorial Governor of Missouri, a post he held for seven years. While governor, he oversaw government affairs, which included building relationships with Indian tribes. He attempted to maintain good relations between new settlers and the Indians, but often drew criticism from many Missourians who believed him to be too sympathetic to the tribes.

With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, lands which included the huge Mississippi River basin drained by rivers flowing east to the river, became American property. The area that is now Arkansas was part of that new “Louisiana Territory.” Officials established new political boundaries within the area, and the Louisiana Territory included all of the new land north of the present Arkansas-Louisiana border; the Orleans Territory lay to the south. When the Orleans Territory became the state of Louisiana in 1812, the area to its north became Missouri Territory, including what is now Arkansas. Clark County was first established within that Missouri Territory on December 15, 1818, and was named for Missouri Territory Governor William Clark. It was one of the five counties in existence at the time Arkansas Territory was formed a few months later in 1819. Arkansas and Lawrence counties had been created earlier, with Hempstead and Pulaski established simultaneously with Clark.

William Clark died in 1838 in St. Louis, Missouri. His tombstone reads: “Soldier, Explorer, Statesman, and Patriot.” Today, he is not only remembered as one of our nation’s most significant explorers, but also for being the person for which Clark County, Arkansas, is named.

Miller County: 1820

Miller County in far southwest Arkansas was originally established in 1820, named for Arkansas Territory’s first governor, James Miller. At the time, it included most of today’s Miller County as well as parts of several counties in Texas. However, it was abolished in 1838 and re-established decades later.

James Miller was born in New Hampshire in 1776 and practiced law before joining the military in 1808. During the War of 1812 he became known as the “Hero of Lundy’s Lane” for his service in that battle. At a time when Americans searched for a truly American identity, Miller responded to an order from his commanding officer with a sentence that became his well-known slogan: “I’ll try, Sir.” The populace embraced the slogan and Miller was rewarded for his heroism with an appointment as the first governor of the new Arkansas Territory. When he finally arrived by boat at territorial capital Arkansas Post in December (months after his appointment!), banners flew with the words “Arkansaw” and “I’ll try, Sir” as citizens welcomed the new governor. The slogan continued to be repeated through the years and was even proposed together with a cotton boll on one of the entries in the Arkansas State flag contest in 1913!

Miller never liked Arkansas. After his delayed arrival, he made frequent trips back east and remained there for months at a time. This allowed Territorial Secretary Robert Crittenden to act as governor during Miller’s absences. Crittenden got the fledgling Arkansas Territory government off the ground by appointing many county officials while also building his own political influence. However, one very significant event that occurred during Miller’s tenure was the relocation of the territorial capital to Little Rock in 1821. The choice of Little Rock reflected a shift to the west in terms of settlement and economic activity. Plus, Miller and other Arkansas politicians owned land there!

Legislators established Miller County in 1820, the year after Arkansas Territory came into being. But, the new county occupied a difficult position: it was too far west for the United States to govern well, and Mexico claimed much of the area’s land (now in Texas). With Texas’ declaration of independence from Mexico, the situation became even less clear. After Arkansas became a state in 1836, officials decided to simply abolish the county in 1838. At that time, the area became a part of Lafayette County.

Years later, the Arkansas legislature created present-day Miller County from land in Lafayette County. With the arrival of the railroad in Arkansas, Texarkana grew in population and importance. Railroad companies sold land on both sides of the state line, creating sizeable towns in both Arkansas and in Texas. When Miller County, Arkansas, was re-established in 1874, Texarkana became the county seat.

Hot Spring County: 1829

Hot Spring County was named for the naturally-occurring thermal springs emerging from the ground in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. But today, those “hot springs” and the town by that name are in Garland County.

The hot springs have always attracted a lot of attention, even in the early years. American Indians made use of the springs and, according to local legend, believed the waters to possess special healing qualities. Prior to any permanent settlement, French and Spanish hunters and traders also frequented the springs. Even President Thomas Jefferson knew of the place and dispatched William Dunbar and George Hunter to investigate it in 1804 during their scientific expedition into the nation’s new Louisiana Territory. As more and more people heard about the springs, the reputation of the hot waters grew. Many traveled to the area to bathe in and drink the waters they believed to be therapeutic.  

In the first years of Arkansas history, counties were physically much larger, although much more sparsely settled. Clark County was one of only five counties in existence when Arkansas Territory was established in 1819. It encompassed a very large area, including the hot springs and the land that would become Hot Spring County. The springs’ township was called “Warm Springs” in early records. Court was held in various places in territorial Clark County, such as the home of pioneer Jacob Barkman, west of the Caddo River near what is now Caddo Valley. Later, a county seat was established at the village of Greenville, on the Military Road (also known as the Southwest Trail) approximately fourteen miles west of what is now Arkadelphia.

As population increased, in 1829 the Arkansas Territorial Legislature carved Hot Spring County out of Clark County as Arkansas Territory’s twentieth county (Arkansas did not become a state until 1836). The Act described the new county’s boundaries this way: Beginning on the Pulaski County line where township line between townships six and seven intersects the same; thence west to the Washita river; thence with said river to the bayou Deroache; then up said bayou to its source: thence west to the left hand or west fork of the Fourche Caddo; thence up said fork to its head; then due west to the Little Missouri river; thence up said river with boundary line of Clark county, following said line to the place of beginning; be laid off and erected into a separate and distinct county, to be known and called by the name of Hot Spring.

At first, the Hot Spring County seat was in the small village of Hot Springs, then still within the county’s boundaries. Later, the center of government moved to Rockport and a simple frame structure served the county as the courthouse. A brick building replaced the frame one in the 1860s, but fire destroyed this more substantial structure in 1873. Coincidentally, it was also in 1873 that Garland County was established from Hot Spring, Montgomery, and surrounding counties, with the town of Hot Springs as Garland’s county seat. At that point, Hot Springs was no longer in Hot Spring County!

As a result, Hot Spring County shares a fascinating characteristic with several other Arkansas counties: The county’s boundaries do not include the town of the same name. While some towns occupy space inside counties with their name–such as Lonoke in Lonoke County, and Pike City in Pike County–others do not. Some such city-county combinations are Benton, which is in Saline County; Washington, in Hempstead County; Van Buren, in Sebastian County; Bradley, in Lafayette County; and Conway, which is in Faulkner County.

Pike County: 1833

Pike County was established in 1833 from portions of Clark and Hempstead counties as Arkansas Territory’s twenty-sixth county. While many may believe that the county was named for noted Arkansas author, politician, Masonic leader, and attorney Albert Pike, that is not the case. Certainly, many things bear Albert Pike’s name: streets/roads, books, buildings, monuments, and even a campground. However, the county was actually named for soldier and explorer Zebulon Pike, probably best known to Arkansans for his association with Colorado’s Pike’s Peak.

Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born in New Jersey in 1789. Pike’s father served in the military, and Zebulon grew up at various military posts. Some of those posts were on what was then the American northwestern frontier (Ohio and Illinois). Pike’s own assignments included one at Fort Bellefontaine, near St. Louis. Significantly, he worked under General James Wilkinson there. Wilkinson had been appointed governor of the upper portion of the new Louisiana Territory.

In 1805 Wilkinson dispatched Pike to travel into the northern portion of the new land in order to explore and attempt to find the source of the Mississippi River. Upon his return, Wilkinson immediately sent him out again. This time Pike’s assignment was to explore the Arkansas and Red rivers and record information about the region’s natural resources. The “Pike Expedition” traveled the area, reaching what came to be called “Pike’s Peak” in November. The men ventured too far south and were captured by Spanish authorities, but were later released.

In 1811, Lieutenant Colonel Zebulon Pike fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe and was promoted to colonel in 1812. Pike served in the War of 1812 as deputy quartermaster-general in New Orleans and as Inspector General. Promoted to brigadier general in 1813, he was killed while leading a successful combat mission. Pike died in April of 1813 when the British army blew up their ammunition as Pike’s troops neared Fort York (now Toronto). He is buried at Sackets Harbor, New York.

Today, Murfreesboro serves as the county seat of Pike County, Arkansas. The county is  known for its unique “Crater of Diamonds,” the only place in North America where visitors can keep the stones they discover. Given that distinction, the diamond is Arkansas’s state gem, and the diamond shape appears on the state flag. Narrows Dam creates Lake Greeson, another popular tourist attraction in the area. While Pike County is a very old county, detailed research on the area and its people during its earliest days proves difficult due to two courthouse fires in 1855 and 1895 which destroyed valuable records.

Garland County: 1873

Garland County, Arkansas, was established April 5, 1873. The Arkansas General Assembly carved the county from portions of Hot Spring, Montgomery, and Saline counties. The entire area had previously been a part of Clark County. Garland County was named for Augustus Garland, noted attorney who served as Arkansas governor, United States Senator, and United States Attorney General. Hot Springs has been the county seat of Garland County for the county’s entire existence.

Augustus Hill Garland was born in Tennessee in 1832. The Garland family moved to southwest Arkansas when Augustus was very young. After his father died, his mother married again, and moved the family to Washington (Hempstead County). Augustus attended school in the area, and then college in Kentucky. He studied law and began practicing with his stepfather in Washington in 1853. He married Sarah V. Sanders of Washington the same year. The couple moved to Little Rock three years later, where Garland became a law partner with Ebenezer Cummings, former law partner of Albert Pike. Garland supported the Whig party and quickly emerged as a leader in the state.

Garland served as a delegate to Arkansas’s Secession Convention, then as a Representative and Senator in the Confederate Congress in Richmond, Virginia. He returned to Arkansas early in 1865 to assist in the state’s return to the Union. President Andrew Johnson pardoned Garland in mid-1865 for his Confederate service. He was then able to practice law again, arguing what was probably his best-known case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ex parte Garland, that same year. When voters approved a new state constitution in 1868, Garland tried to assume his seat in the Senate (to which he had been previously selected) but was not allowed to do so.

After that, Garland stayed behind the scenes for a time, but supported Elisha Baxter during the conflict known as the Brooks-Baxter War. Voters approved a new state Constitution and officials along with it in 1874 (Arkansas’s current Constitution), including Garland as governor. In 1876, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served there until 1885 when President Grover Cleveland appointed him to be Attorney General of the United States, the first Arkansan to occupy a cabinet-level position. When President Cleveland was not re-elected, Garland left the political arena and resumed his law practice in Washington, D.C.  He died in in D.C. in 1899 and was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock.

The county named for Augustus Garland features some of Arkansas’s most picturesque and fascinating places. The federal government recognized the special nature of the hot springs which emerge from the Ouachita Mountains there and reserved the land for the government’s use in 1832. The land became Hot Springs National Park in 1921. The town around the springs grew rapidly after the Civil War due to its popularity with tourists. The hot waters, together with natural beauty, luxury hotels, racetracks, and illegal gambling, attracted visitors by the thousands. Today, the spa city remains a favorite, but tourism is more focused on recreation and family-oriented activities.

Faulkner County: 1873

The Arkansas General Assembly established Faulkner County April 12, 1873, the state’s sixty-ninth. It was one of nine created by Republicans during Reconstruction. The county was named for Sandford Faulkner, a truly legendary figure from Arkansas’s early statehood period. He is best known as the originator of the “Arkansas Traveler” story which helped create the state’s image beginning as early as the 1840s.

Sandford C. “Sandy” Faulkner was born about 1803 (sources vary) in Kentucky. Spellings of his first name vary: Sandford, Sanford, and even Sanderson, have all been discovered in various records. The Faulkner family moved to Arkansas in the late 1820s, and settled in Chicot County, where the family operated large cotton plantations. Sandford Faulkner served in the Arkansas Militia, for which service he was called “Colonel Faulkner” in later years.

Faulkner unsuccessfully ran for several posts in the legislature through the years. He became president of the Columbia (Chicot County) branch of the Real Estate Bank of Arkansas. The Real Estate Bank had been authorized by the state’s first constitution (1836), but an economic slowdown across the nation brought with it many problems for the bank. Over the next decade or so, the Columbia branch lost approximately $1 million, a major failure under Faulkner’s management. The Real Estate Bank’s situation became so serious that by 1846 the legislature decided to prohibit formation or incorporation of banks in the state.

But, it was during the bank’s difficult years that Faulkner established his legacy. According to legend, he traveled the state with several other well-known politicians, including Chester Ashley, Archibald Yell, Ambrose Sevier, and William Fulton, in attempt to win votes. The group arrived at a remote, dilapidated cabin in the woods and met a settler and his barefoot family. At first, the man was reluctant to talk, but became more agreeable when Faulkner was able to join him in playing a tune on the fiddle. When the group returned to Little Rock, Faulkner told the humorous tale of their  misadventures. The story became extremely popular, and Faulkner became a highly-desired speaker/performer all across the state. The tale led to popularization of the enjoyable catchy tune “Arkansas Traveler” and a now-famous drawing depicting the encounter in the woods by Edward P. Washburn. The combination of the Arkansas Traveler tale, tune, and drawing did much to establish Arkansas’s backwoods image in the late 1800s.

The tune eventually came to be among the earliest country music songs ever to be recorded (1922). It was one of the first fifty recordings chosen to be a part of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, created to preserve the nation’s most significant sound recordings. Other recordings selected for preservation during that project’s initial year include Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” and the Grand Ole Opry’s first network radio broadcast, to name a few. Today, the “Arkansas Traveler” is the state’s official historical song.

Faulkner lived in Little Rock in the years leading up to the Civil War. He became military storekeeper of the Little Rock Arsenal after federal troops surrendered the facility to the State of Arkansas in 1861. When the Union occupied Little Rock a couple of years later, Faulkner moved to Texas and stayed there until the war was over. He returned to Little Rock in 1865, but, like many others after the war, was broke. His health declined as well. Faulkner died in Little Rock in 1874 and was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery there.